Butterfly-Shape House Sells in One of Carmel’s Priciest Deals

Venture capitalist Kevin Comolli and his wife, Hannah, fetched $29 million for the distinctive California property

Katherine Clarke | Mansion Global

The Butterfly House, an architecturally distinctive home in Carmel, Calif., has sold for $29 million, in one of the priciest deals ever to close in the area, according to a spokeswoman for the buyer’s agent.

The sellers are venture capitalist Kevin Comolli and his wife, Hannah Comolli, who purchased the property for $16.5 million in 2014, records show. In an email, Kevin Comolli declined to comment on the specifics of the transaction, but said the couple was “delighted to pass the baton to the new owner.”

“The home fits so beautifully in with nature, its balance and longevity changed our lives for the better,” he said.

The identity of the buyer, represented by Tim Allen of Coldwell Banker Realty, couldn’t immediately be determined. The sellers were represented by Shelly Mitchell Lynch of Carmel Realty Co.

The Carmel Point property, designed by architect Frank Wynkoop in the early 1950s, is perched on a granite outcropping over the ocean. It was named for its wing-shape roof that suggests a butterfly.

Set on just over half an acre, the house spans about 3,700 square feet, with three bedrooms, an office and a media room. An interior courtyard has a kidney-shape pool and a hot tub. The property also includes a privately owned beach with a swimming cove.

The house was first listed in August 2022 for $40 million, The Wall Street Journal reported. At the time, the Comollis said they had spent about 2.5 years renovating the property, completing the work in 2016. They said they were selling because they had relocated to Beverly Hills, Calif., where they had renovated a 1920s Tudor home.

The deal is one of the most expensive to close in the Carmel area. Last year, actor Brad Pitt bought a roughly century-old, architecturally significant home in the area for $40 million.